West Penn denies power surge damage claims

Wednesday

Jul 9, 2014 at 12:00 PM

Emily Dickey

Many area residents feel like they are still in the dark following a power surge nearly two weeks ago.

Around 12:50 p.m. on Friday, June 27, a cross-arm on a utility pole along Marsh Road broke, causing a 34,500-volt power line to drop down onto a 12,000-volt line below it, according to Todd Meyers, spokesman for West Penn Power.

In the aftermath, residents have been filing claims for damage caused by the power surge.

Meyers said that as of Tuesday afternoon, West Penn had received 190 claims from the Waynesboro area. These claims include appliances such as TVs, computers, air conditioners, refrigerators and heat pumps. In addition, claims also have been filed by establishments which lost business as a result of being without power.

All claims have been or will be denied because the surge happened as a result of equipment malfunction which was not or could not have been predicted, Meyers said.

Facilities were “last inspected in August, 2013, and no problems were reported,” Meyers explained, adding that the broken cross-arm appears to be the result of “normal wear and tear” — not the company’s negligence.

Typically, a claim is paid if West Penn Power had “prior knowledge” something was wrong with its equipment or utility poles and that condition caused the problem, said Meyers. He noted workers have no idea why the cross-arm broke because the wood and surrounding pole were still in very good condition.

What happened

“When a higher voltage line drops onto a lower voltage one, a power surge occurs,” Meyers explained, noting that approximately 1,200 customers in the south end of Waynesboro were impacted immediately with loss of electricity.

Within 20 minutes, West Penn crews were at the scene, removing the higher voltage line from the lower voltage one.

Electricity was restored to about 60 percent of customers within a few hours. By 7 p.m. power was restored to everyone, according to Meyers.

Customers’ reactions

This week, customers who filed claims are learning they have been denied reimbursement for their lost appliances and other damage caused by the power surge and they are not happy.

Linda Clark, a resident on Cleveland Avenue, said she was “quite mad” when she received the letter denying her claim. Clark said she lost an Internet modem, computer tower, two Xboxes and a stereo because of the surge.

Lisa Kline, owner of NuVogue Hair and Tanning Studio, reported that the circuit boards in three of the salon’s tanning beds were fried. To replace all three beds, it would cost $20,000, Kline said.

After receiving the claim denial, Kline went ahead and filed with the insurance company, but said she intends on “pursuing further action” against West Penn Power.

“They (West Penn) are trying to minimize their expenses, but I’m not backing down,” said Kline.

Other residents said they are planning to file an appeal with Public Utility Commission because they feel as though West Penn Power should foot the bill for their losses, not their insurance company.

“It’s very ridiculous that they (West Penn) aren’t doing anything at all. There are many people and businesses who have lost so much. It’s a shame,” said Cori Urey, who lived without air conditioning for almost a week because an internal motor in a heat pump was a victim of the surge.

According to Rick Stell, an appliance specialist at Lowe’s, there has been about a 20 percent increase in appliance sales at the Rouzerville store since the surge. People are buying microwaves, dishwashers, dryers, ranges and refrigerators to replace damaged ones, reported Stell, who noted that these types of appliances can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.

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